New Nu Coach Back In Big Time

April 01, 1999|By David Schwartz, Tribune Staff Writer.

The last few days have been unsettling, to say the least, for June Olkowski. Since telling Butler officials that she was leaving after six years to become Northwestern's new women's basketball coach, she had been in a self-described limbo before Wednesday's formal introduction.

Now the waiting and nervous anticipation are over and she is no longer, as she puts it, "soup without a sandwich."

The Wildcats officially made Olkowski, who struggled through her first head coaching job at Arizona before enjoying success at Butler, the successor to the retired Don Perrelli, Northwestern's coach for the last 15 seasons. She signed a five-year deal.

As a player, Olkowski led Rutgers to the AIAW national championship in 1982 under Theresa Grentz, now Illinois' coach.

She played on the first U.S. Olympic Festival women's team in 1978 and has competed at the national level. In 1988 she became the first female athlete at Rutgers to have her number retired.

But that year also marked the beginning of an unsuccessful tenure at Arizona. At 27, she became the youngest women's basketball coach in NCAA history after serving as an assistant at Maryland and Arizona. After four years and a 34-82 record, Arizona fired Olkowski.

"I'm not afraid to say that I was `released to pursue better opportunities,' " she said. "That was their way of saying I was fired."

She was an assistant at Auburn for two years before taking over at Butler. Her teams went 114-56, and Butler made the NCAA tournament in 1998. Olkowski was named Midwestern Collegiate Conference coach of the year three times.

Northwestern Athletic Director Rick Taylor chose Olkowski from three finalists. He contacted Tennessee's Pat Summitt and Grentz, two of the nation's top coaches, and both offered ringing endorsements.

Olkowski also did her homework, asking Grentz if she thought she was ready to return to a major conference. Grentz responded in her typical fashion, Olkowski said.

"She shouted, `Hey, I wouldn't have recommended you if I didn't think you were,' " Olkowski said.

Olkowski said returning to a major conference felt "surreal," and that she looks forward to coaching regularly against Grentz. The down years at Arizona, she says, were just like anything else in life: a learning experience that made her stronger.

It was that perseverance that led Taylor to say that Olkowski was his first choice to take over a Northwestern squad that will return nine players. The Wildcats finished 12-15 last season but were hampered by injuries.